State of the Union (Scot Harvath Series #3)

by Brad Thor

Overview

“The perfect all-American hero” (Nelson DeMille, #1 New York Times bestselling author) Scot Harvath is on the hunt for a dangerous killer bent on world domination in this white-knuckled thrill ride from #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor.

America’s worst nightmare has just become a brutal reality. The most unlikely terrorist enemy of all now holds a knife against the country’s throat. With both diplomatic and conventional military options swept from the table, the president calls upon Navy SEAL turned Secret Service agent, Scot Harvath, to disable a brilliantly orchestrated conspiracy intended to bring the United States to its knees. Teamed with beautiful Russian Intelligence agent Alexandra Ivanova and a highly trained CIA paramilitary detachment, Harvath embarks on an adrenaline-fueled search that spans the world—and leads to a final, deadly showdown on American soil, with a lethal and sinister enemy from the past.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780743492621
Publisher:	Atria Books
Publication date:	01/27/2004
Series:	Scot Harvath Series
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	7,999
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Brad Thor is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-four thrillers, including Shadow of Doubt, Black Ice (ThrillerFix Best Thriller of the Year), Near Dark (one of Suspense Magazine’s Best Books of the Year), Backlash (nominated for the Barry Award for Best Thriller of the Year), Spymaster (named “One of the all-time best thriller novels” —The Washington Times), The Last Patriot (nominated Best Thriller of the Year by the International Thriller Writers association), and Blowback (one of the “Top 100 Killer Thrillers of All Time” —NPR). Visit his website at BradThor.com and follow him on Facebook @BradThorOfficial, on Instagram @RealBradThor, and on X @BradThor.

Read an Excerpt

PROLOGUE

WASHINGTON, D.C.

TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 28TH

What I want, Chuck, is ten minutes of peace and quiet so I can think," snapped the president to his chief of staff.

Charles Anderson had never seen his boss like this. Then again, America had never faced a situation of this magnitude before. With less than three hours until he was expected to deliver his State of the Union address, President Jack Rutledge had already made the tough decision of evacuating Congress and settling on a videotaped address from the White House. The hardest call, though, still lay before him.

"Okay, people," voiced Anderson. "You heard the president. Let's give him the room. Everybody out. We'll reconvene in the Situation Room."

Once the Oval Office had cleared out, the president leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and massaged his forehead with the heels of his hands. His oath of office called for him to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution -- a body of laws, which obliged him, "to give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." Never in a million years could he have imagined that the execution of his duties would lead to the unraveling of everything America had fought to become.

He was reminded of the first State of the Union address given by George Washington over two hundred years ago at New York's Federal Hall. With the country in the fledgling stages of its great democratic experiment, Washington had focused on the very concept of union itself and the challenges not only of establishing, but of maintaining it.

How in the hell had things come to this? Rutledge wondered as he opened his eyes and studied the two folders on the desk in front of him. Each contained a different version of his State of the Union address, and each had the potential to be equally devastating. The fate of millions of Americans would be decided by what he said and did in the next three hours.

Though not a particularly religious man, President Jack Rutledge closed his eyes once again and this time prayed to God for guidance.

Copyright © 2004 by Brad Thor

Editorial Reviews

Fortunately for America, series hero Scot Harvath (The Lions of Lucerne; Path of the Assassin) possesses almost superhuman abilities and an equal amount of fantastic luck in this blistering, testosterone-fueled espionage thriller. Making use of an innovative plot device, Thor resuscitates that old Cold War bugbear, Russia, as a credible threat to our country's very existence. Twenty years before the story's start, Russian agents hide at least 19 suitcase nuclear devices in secret locations throughout the United States. As the book opens, President Jack Rutledge is ordered by the Russians to inform the American people in his State of the Union address that America will withdraw forthwith from world affairs, remove its troops from all foreign countries, surrender its seat in the United Nations and divest itself of all involvement with the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization and the G-8. If he does not do as he is commanded, sleeper agents will set off the hidden nuclear weapons, and millions of Americans will die. Harvath former SEAL, former Secret Service agent and special agent with the Office of International Investigative Assistance is assigned the job of thwarting this nefarious plan, and he's got seven days to do it. Assisting him are many stalwarts drawn from elite military and other government agencies, all armed with the most techno of weapons, each lovingly described. As the clock ticks down, the battle takes Harvath around the globe, from a brothel in Berlin to the frigid waters of the Baltic Sea and back to the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. It's a complex plot, but Thor (host of the PBS television program Traveling Lite) keeps everyone in line and trotting briskly ahead. Readers of the genre will understand that Harvath's triumph is a foregone conclusion and will marvel at the canny plan and clever devices he employs to succeed. (Jan.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

"Frighteningly real."

— Ottawa Citizen

"Scot Harvath is the perfect all-American hero for the post-September 11th world."

— Nelson DeMille

From the Publisher